Back in the game
- Updated: February 5, 2020
Former Anniston coach Ware comes out of retirement to become new boys basketball coach at Faith Christian
By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today
Schuessler Ware is back in the game.
The legendary Anniston basketball coach is returning to the floor as boys basketball coach at Faith Christian.
“I had some free time when I was approached,” Ware told East Alabama Sports Today today in confirming the news. “I said it’ll be a quite an experience, a challenge, with this type group. As long as the kids stay excited and want to work, we might be able to get a little something out of them.”
Ware succeeds Justin Kisor, who just completed the season after accepting a position as PE teacher and volleyball coach at Pell City.
Ware’s last season at Anniston was 2016. He retired after 19 seasons with more than 420 wins, seven county titles, 14 area titles, five Final Four appearances and two state titles. His final game was a 45-43 loss “we should have won” to top-ranked J.O. Johnson in the 2016 Northeast Regional final.
Since stepping away from the game he has remained active taking care of relatives and doing work for a local funeral home.
“I missed coaching,” he admitted. “I missed kids. I missed working with kids.”
Lions baseball and assistant basketball coach Jason Pahman called bringing Ware aboard a “monumental home run hire for us.”
Ware’s position involves just coaching basketball. He’s been set up on a part-time February-to-February contract that will pay an undisclosed stipend.
He met with Faith officials several times over the last three weeks. He watched the Lions play Westbrook Christian Friday night ironed out the details of the deal Monday and he was introduced to the school community and his future players today, about 18 hours after the Lions’ season came to an end. He already has been approached by “two or three people” inquiring about being part of his staff.
“I am not from this area but e-v-v-verybody who mentioned him to me or I mentioned his name to just spoke glowingly,” Faith Christian head of school Chip Jones said. ‘So for me it was really about a good fit because, you know, not just every good, legendary coach would be a fit here.
‘We just needed to make sure that it would be a good fit with our guys, with our culture here at the school, and we believe that it is. He believes it as well. It’s just, I’m trying to search for the right word, and all I can come up with is a blessing.’
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